Greatness
by MeerkatMan11
Summary: A short fanfic about a Polish dynasty's short ride and fall.


A Crusader King fix of me playing Ironman mode starting as Warcislaw Sieradzki, a minor Polish Catholic count. Needless to say my plans fell apart.

Poland was dying. And it was all my family's fault. My name is Iakob Sieradzki, of the ten generation noble Polish house of Sieradzki, dedicated Catholics (Since Boguslaw at least). I can trace my ancestry from my father Iakob the Devil, to Warcislaw son of Wlodimierz, son of Boguslaw, son of Wsielaw, son of Leszek, son of Warcislaw, son of Wieslaw, son of Sedzimir, son of Sedziej. Every member of my line has also held the title of Sieradzko-Leczyckie (We don't mention or include Wsielaw in this). And now we were going to fall. It was near a certainty.

It all starts with my grandfather starting what he called the true rising of the polish. He believed we dedicated nobles deserved the throne more than the ruling Piast family who could only trace their lineage back to peasants a mere 795 years after our lord savior Jesus death. (Our lineage went back to 733). But this is beside the point. My grandfather started attacking the undeserving other vassals of the Piast, starting with the invasion of Kujawy against another Polish noble (Never mind their lineage went back to around 730-740 as well). This success was shortly followed by the annexation of the county of Sacz, which had been commanded by mere peasants for years after they had wiped out (arguably) the most noble polish line. They even had elections! Disgusting.

The King even noticed our greatness as he gifted us the duchy of Kuyavia.

Unfortunately the Great Warcislaw would die a mere day after receiving the title from severe stress, which left all his titles to his heir, my father Iakob. It was not to be happy for this generation of my family. My father had his half sister assassinated as she was an undeserving half peasant bastard. His mother, a princess of Hungary died suspiciously. His second sister died giving birth to the future duke of Galich, while his last sibling, the Queen of France, was married off to some Welsh count after King Henri the Lionheart died. After that welsh count rebelled against his liege she was captured and died years later in the dungeons of that lord. My father though was destined for greatness.

He fought in the great Crusade for the Holy Land, making himself renown throughout the Kingdoms of those that followed God. Despite his small force of 3000 men, he fought and killed more that all but two other lords in the successful Holy War. The Holy Land was lost mere months after the Crusade was won when the first Islamic Jihad succeeded.

Iakob had 6 children. Geneva, Maria, Myself (the greatest), Maddis, Erlyn and finally Elijah.

Geneva married the son of the brother of my Hungarian grandmother, reuniting our lines.

Maria married the Grand Prince of Galich, who now swore fealty to Poland.

I married the third and last daughter of the King of Poland, Maria. Maddis married the King of France as was now custom for our family.

Erlyn wed the sister of the King of France.

Elijah married a Norwegian princess despite my fathers wishes, as the Norwegian King had been 'elected', despite his father being a mere stable boy.

Then my fathers plan came into effect. He deliberately lost a war against the northern pagans. Everyone dismissed him as an incompetent. Then he struck.

He declared a rebellion to put my wife on the throne, against her older sister who had just inherited the Kingdom from her father. Using the entire treasury he hired mercenaries that annihilated Wislawa 'the gentles' army. He won. My wife was Queen. And I was King! My children would be of my dynasty and one day inherit the crown! Our family finally had what it deserved. But then my father, the Marshall of Poland was slain by Pomeranian arrow. A poisoned arrow. That was when it all collapsed. My fathers titles were split between me and my brothers, weakening my forces greatly. Then Wislawa revolted against our rule. Poland was divided. The Pomeranians conquered a Polish county. The Estonian Pagans attacked. The Bohemian traitors invaded. And then both my brothers rebelled, using the forces that were rightly mine to fight me. They couldn't see that they were causing the death of our kingdom. We would be conquered by pagans as we fought each other. And we are being conquered by them.

This is the end of me. Of my family. Of Polish sovereignty. I pray for the remnants of our armies to die bravely, as even a miracle would not save us now. If not for a nobles greed...

I hope my young son and his sister can one day restore the throne and fulfill our family's true destiny. I am glad to know they at least are safe in the French court. Well, this is the end. They've broken through the keep of the castle. I shall fight now, and fall along with thousands of others.

(Captured, died in the Pomeranian dungeons 16 years later)

The end


End file.
